Author's Note
So yeah guys, as usual my update is late. When I started this fic, I'd hoped that I'd be able to update every week.
Life as usual has other plans so just bear with me. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy because this story is quickly approaching its climax.
My focus is split once again when I feel a spike of malevolent chakra in the distance.
It's that red-haired shinobi from the Hidden Sand Village. Based on what I'm feeling now, my original thoughts are confirmed.
That chakra is unmistakable. He's a jinchuuriki and an unstable one at that. I made sure to memorise all the chakra signatures of the Genin taking part in the Chunin Exams.
Therefore I felt it when Gaara snuffed out three of the Hidden Rain Genin. The chakra signatures of his teammates were quivering, which meant that they were afraid.
My brief moment of distraction pondering all these things however, cost me. Orochimaru was fleeing rapidly and Kabuto was slinking away as well.
I walked out from behind the trees and a few seconds later I entered the clearing where my mother and Orochimaru were fighting.
The ANBU tensed as I approached but Shikaku, Kakashi and Gai were relaxed. The Hokage looked at me for a moment and then focused on my mother, who snorted.
" Why am I not surprised that you didn't leave when I told you to? " I shot my mother a charming smile and her lips twitched as she fought back a smile.
" I was going to leave, but I felt another chakra signature hiding and watching as well. It belonged to a Genin called Kabuto Yakushi who had failed the exams multiple times already. "
" His chakra signature is not that of a Genin however. It's too large and developed. I was naturally suspicious so I stayed, just in case he tried anything. "
I saw the Hokage frown as I spoke. When I finished, he ordered his ANBU to find Kabuto. Kakashi volunteered to go with them.
After summoning one of his dogs, they set off. As this was happening though, my mother came up to me and hugged me.
" This isn't over yet. Make a water clone to appraise us fully of what happened here and then head on over to your team and complete the Exams. You can relax now. I'll deal with the Orochimaru situation. "
I nodded my head. With a single handsign, I created a water clone. Before I left though, I made a motion with two of my fingers.
It was part of a code we developed when I was younger. It signified that I had something important to say.
It was true as well. She needed to know about another of the competitors. One from the Hidden Grass Village.
As I left, the others converged on my mother to talk.
I could feel my teammates about a mile away. Team 7 were closer, but they were out of danger for now and so I set off to rejoin my team.
Hopefully, there were no more nasty surprises in store for us, but I wasn't holding my breath. When it rains, it pours after all.
On my way to my team, I take a few minutes to take down a Hidden Rain team and take their scroll from them.
Luck is on my side, because it's the scroll that we need. Soon after, I meet up with Yakumo and Sai and after they've confirmed who I am, the three of us set out to the tower in the centre of the forest.
Once we enter, we open the two scrolls and a Chunin appears in a puff of smoke. He explains everything to us and tell us that we're the second team to arrive.
We make our way to the mess hall, to get something to eat and that's when we see who the first team to get to the tower are.
I'd felt who they were long before we actually entered the building but now I saw them with my eyes as well.
It was a team from the Hidden Sand Village. The team with the homicidal jinchuuriki. He looked at us with a cold, blank face as we entered.
None of us were phased though. His two teammates focused their attention on us. I made my way to the food and Yakumo followed me, knowing what was to come.
Sure enough, insults were soon flowing as Sai was his predictable self. As we sat down, another team entered the room.
It was Team 8 of the Hidden Leaf Village. Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame, all three looking a bit scruffy.
They looked unnerved by the presence of the three Sand Genin but relaxed as soon as they saw us.
They came over and we traded greetings. Kiba was surprisingly subdued as they sat with us and helped themselves to some food.
As I thought however, as soon as the three foreigners left, the whole sordid tale came out.
They were hidden in the treeline and thus they saw first-hand the fate that befell the Rain Genin that went up against the Hidden Sand team.
Crushed into pulp by sand that came out of that gourd that was on the redhead's back. That same sand that also acted as a defence for the boy.
Just how complete that defence was and how fast it's reaction time was, they couldn't say for sure. I'd have to see what it can do during his fights.
We soon split up after that and go our own separate ways. My team heads to a training room to get in a light workout while the other Leaf team went to go and rest.
This was our routine for the next four days as other teams slowly started to trickle in to the tower.
On the fifth day, all of us were called into a large auditorium and that's when we saw everyone that had made it.
To the surprise of many, all the rookie teams of the Hidden Leaf had made it. I was less surprised, considering the politics that went into their creation.
Turns out that after I'd sent them on their way, Team 7 were attacked again. This time by the team from the Hidden Sound Village.
Sasuke and Naruto had a lot of frustrations to work out however. The three Sound Genin were firmly trounced.
All three of them still made it in time though and now they were glaring at Sakura and her teammates.
It turns out that too many of us made it through the forest, which means that a preliminary match would be held.
I didn't complain though. I was bored and I was hoping to get a decent fight. My hopes were half answered. I was taking part in the first fight.
" Will Hatorama Senju and Kin Tsuchi come down to the arena. " The Hidden Sound girl sneered at me. I didn't even bother to acknowledge her taunt.
As soon as the match began, I went through a couple of handsigns and activated chakra scalpels on both of my hands which glowed blue.
She threw a handful of senbon with bells attached to them at me. I dodged easily, knowing exactly what she was up to. The bells were a dead giveaway.
Sure enough, I felt her chakra trying to blanket my senses as the bells started chiming. She was trying to use genjutsu on me.
With a flicker of my chakra, I stopped her feeble attempts in its tracks and raced towards her.
I saw her eyes widen at how fast I moved. She was able to raise her arms and attempt taijutsu, but it was useless.
A single tap to both of her arms and the muscles were severed and I deactivated my jutsu. Before she could do anything else, I flicked her against her forehead, channeling a spark of chakra as I did. She was instantly knocked out.
As most of the other Hidden Leaf Genin cheered, I went back up the stairs to the observation level.
The fights were sort of interesting. Sasuke fought against the teammate of Kin, a boy called Zaku and won.
Naruto fought against Kiba and he did better than I expected. I'd given him a C ranked Wind Style Jutsu a week ago, the Gale Palm, which is actually meant to increase the speed of thrown projectiles, but he overpowered it with chakra and used the technique to stymie the signature jutsu of the Inuzuka clan.
Tenten went up against Sakura and completely humiliated her with taijutsu. Lee went up against Choji Akimichi who was simply too slow and lacked the stamina and so Lee won.
Neji went up against the final Sound Genin, Dosu Kinuta. He used some kind of sonic attack, but unfortunately for him, Neji had the Byakugan.
As Dosu went to finish off a ' downed ' Neji, he fell into a trap. Once he was in the Hyuga prodigy's field of divination, it was all over.
Ino went up against Sai who quickly disabled her with his constructs. Once his ink snakes immobilised her, he knocked her out with the blunt end of his tanto.
The redhead, Gaara, went up against Shino Aburame. Shino ended up surrendering because there was nothing he could do to beat Gaara.
When Shino gave up, Gaara tried to attack him anyway, but the Jounin intervened and threatened him with disqualification.
Hinata went up against the girl Sand Genin, Temari. She lasted surprisingly long, but in the end, she lost. She had no ranged jutsu and simply couldn't close the gap between them and hit her opponent directly.
Yakumo fought against the final Sand Genin, Kankuro, who turned out to be a puppet user of a bit of skill.
Unfortunately for him, his opening bluff was of no use. The moment the match began, he'd already been caught in a genjutsu.
It turns out that he'd swapped with his puppet and his plan was likely to lure her into close combat and then surprise her.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn't her style. She was scary when she was focused. She was smart as well.
She'd picked up that he was scared of his teammate and now used it against him. I saw him mouth ' Gaara ' before he screamed and surrendered.
It was pretty humiliating though. He ended up pissing himself. When the genjutsu ended and the jeers of the victorious Leaf Genin reached him, he ran out.
The girl, Temari ran after him. The Proctor struggled for a bit to get everyone to calm down but eventually they did.
Shikamaru, the lucky bastard, didn't have to fight anyone. He automatically moved on, to the boos of many of the others. He wasn't phased though.
After all the drama, we were then made to pick a ball out of a bag. They would determine who our opponents would be.
I drew Gaara. I groaned internally. Why am I not surprised. Still, in the end, it doesn't matter.
I'm the heir to the greatest clan that ever was. I have every intention of winning this. No jinchuuriki is going to stop me.